CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #3
I stayed long enough to give Scott a nasty look, then I turned and hurried after her. I caught up to her. “I can have him kicked out if you want me to,” I whispered to her.
She gave me a small smile and shook her head. “No, that’s okay. But thanks, Nat.”
“I would love to dance with you,” the man held out his arm to her.
“I’d like that,” she said and let him spin her out on the floor.
I turned and looked around. Scott had come into the room. He was leaning on the back wall and drinking whiskey, a dejected look on his face. He watched as Blair threw her head back and laughed while she danced with his friend.
She was truly breathtakingly gorgeous. Scott’s eyes followed her everywhere, and I wondered if he’d just been trying to sound big and important in front of his friends. Because from where I was standing? The look in his eyes when he watched her did not match the terrible things he’d said about her.
“There you are.”
I jumped, startled to see Heath at my side. He handed me a glass of champagne. “It’s probably not cold anymore,” he said.
“I was showing Blair where the bathroom was.”
He nodded and smiled. “That’s fine. Do you want me to get you a fresh glass?”
“No. This is great, thanks.” I took a sip even though I would’ve loved to toss it back. That scene between Scott and Blair had my hands shaking.
I looked around, wondering if any of my other family and friends had arrived yet.
My eyes landed on Tim, and my breath hitched.
My God. I forgot how good he could look in formal wear.
Who was I kidding? He looked amazing all the time.
There was something about a guy in a tux, though.
He was so tall and built, but the tux still looked like it belonged on him.
His blond hair was styled perfectly; his eyes were extra blue—the kind you could see from across a room.
His light beard was trimmed neatly, and his sharp jawline stood out even more than usual.
He stood with his back to the bar, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand. He was staring at Heath and me.
I took a deep breath. He was the only man I’d ever felt this much desire for.
Lust even, if I was being honest with myself.
I swear, I could walk across the room, jump up and wrap my legs around his waist, and let him kiss the hell out of me while he walked me to the nearest private place and fucked me hard and fast against a wall.
“Natalie?”
“What?” I said it too loud, turning to Heath and feeling guilty, as if he could know what I’d just been thinking about.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t run off.” He smiled at me.
I nodded, smiling back absently while I tried not to stare at Tim. I could still feel his eyes on me.
After Heath walked off, I turned and decided there was nothing wrong with me going to get a fresh glass of champagne from the bar. If I happened to talk to Tim while I was there, it would just be a happy coincidence.
I walked across the room, my eyes on Tim. I was only a few feet away when the music went silent and Heath’s voice came over the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention?”
I turned, wondering what he was doing.
“First off, I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight to celebrate this wonderful holiday with my family. We’re so blessed and fortunate to have each and every one of you here with us on this very special Christmas Eve.” He paused as he scanned the room and his eyes landed on me.
A warning bell went off in my head. What was happening right now?
“Natalie, can you come up here with me please?”
My eyes widened, but I walked towards him.
While I was on my way, he continued his speech. “Many of you know that I started dating this wonderful woman after I accidentally hit her in the face with a door. I gave her a black eye and lump the size of Pluto on her forehead. And she fell in a huge sticker bush.”
Laughter went around the room.
“But she forgave me, and I’m so thankful she did. I’ve had friends who’ve settled down well before me. I’d look at them and wonder what made them so happy. I wondered how they knew the woman they were with was the right one. Then I met Natalie. And I knew.”
I felt like a zombie as I closed the distance and took the hand he held out to me.
He got down on one knee and pulled a Cartier ring box from his inside tux pocket. He opened it, and I almost gasped at the size of the diamond.
“Natalie, would you make me the happiest man alive and agree to become my bride?”
I was frozen, staring down at him. He was so handsome, so confident, as he waited for my answer.
I felt a prickling at the back of my neck like someone was watching me. Which was ridiculous. The whole damn room was watching me.
But I knew deep down who it was that caused those prickles of awareness. I looked out at the room and met Tim’s eyes. He looked awful. His face had gone gray, and his lips were in a thin, straight line. He looked at me and mouthed the words, “Say no.”
I opened my mouth, hating that Heath had asked me such a personal question in front of hundreds of people.
Before I could speak, I saw Tim turn and push his way out of the room.
All I could do was watch him go.